Southampton Cycle Campaign

Second Place CTC Campaigning Achievement of the Year (The Gordon Selway Memorial Award): Southampton Cycle Campaign

Second Place CTC Campaigning Achievement of the Year (The Gordon Selway Memorial Award): Southampton Cycle Campaign.

Southampton Cycling Campaign was constituted in 1989 to represent cyclists’ needs throughout the city. Committee members Lindsi Bluemel and Dilys Gartside with others have tirelessly championed cyclists’ needs at monthly meetings, on working party rides assessing potential cycle friendly routes, meeting with councillors to lobby and promote early implementation of cycle friendly plans and policy eg LTP3, with no outside financial support.

This year, they prevented removal of a vital cycle link for school pupils on the east of the city; ensured cyclists’ rights over major city centre development; prepared cycle friendly plans for River Itchen bridges connecting west to east, concluding a 20 year battle for shared use paths; a live radio broadcast championing cyclists and removal of no-cycling signs; campaigning for missing links on otherwise safe routes; successfully speaking for a planning application to extend shoreline route 2, avoiding dangerous road.

Starting a ladies’ cycling group Simply Fabulous and jointly planning all routes for Southampton Sky Rides, Lindsi and Dilys have continued to organise regular rides including ‘Historic Southampton by Bike’.

Being mature, yet both well known locally for cycling feats, Lindsi and Dilys make great role models for all would-be cyclists and particularly the ladies.